By Frank Tigani

0

Oct 11, 2012 20:35:00

The 23-year-old's recent performances for club and country have come under intense scrutiny resulting in the Real Madrid playmaker believing he has come in for unfair treatment

Germany star Mesut Ozil insists the criticism being levelled at him is unjust while suggesting the expectations of a nation is pressure itself despite claims from the Bayern Munich president to the contrary.

The Real Madrid midfielder's comments come following accusations by Uli Hoeness that not enough is expected of die Mannschaft, something he believes to be false.

"We have got enough pressure. Everyone wants the national team to win every match. That is pressure," Ozil was quoted as saying by Bild.

The playmaker then went on to rebuff the claim made by Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger that some players did not pull their weight during their failed Euro 2012 campaign.

He said: "I cannot confirm what he [Schweinsteiger] has said. I was there in the middle of it. I thought that everyone fought for the team and for his team-mate."

The 23-year-old has been the target of much criticism himself after his slow start for the Spanish champions this season. However, he does believe some of the talk regarding his form has been unwarranted and his display at Camp Nou showed this.

"Positive acknowledgement is better than unjustified criticism. But it is even more important that in both cases the feedback is honest," he continued.

"I was not as bad as described in the media but then I was not happy with my performances either. I had to grow and remain strong and ultimately I succeeded as my display against Barcelona showed."